Anderson and Dill: Investigation into aggression and violent video games

From this article, I found that playing a violent video game can increase a person's aggressive thoughts. The research conducted by Anderson and Dill at the Iowa State University of Science and Technology concludes that players' aggressive feelings and behaviour after playing violent video games can be carried out in actual life. The research findings by Anderson and Dill suggest that "... a violent video game may be more harmful than violent television and movies because the video game is interactive, very engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor".

How Influential are Violent Video Games?

In one of their studies, Anderson and Dill discovered that "young men who are habitually aggressive may be especially vulnerable to the aggression-enhancing effects of repeated exposure to violent games." Therefore, people with anger and aggressive physical problems are susceptible to violent video games as they encourage and raise testosterone, due to the fact the games are more real and are intended to evoke aggressive feelings. "The other study reveals that even a brief exposure to violent video games can temporarily increase aggressive behavior in all types of participants." By playing for a short period of time, players are filled with a growing need to express their violence and channel their aggression through different ways.

Anderson and Dill's first study

The first study involved 227 college students who completed a measure of trait aggressiveness and reported their actual aggressive behaviors (delinquency) in the recent past. They also reported their video game playing habits. The study carried out by Anderson and Dill found that "students who reported playing more violent video games in junior and high school were engaged in more aggressive behaviour." To some extent, playing video games consistently did tend to instill a level of violent behaviour among teenagers, as they were desensitised to real violence. As well as this, the study also found that ".. amount of time spent playing video games in the past was associated with lower academic grades in college." Interestingly, playing violent video games on a regular basis or consistently does tend to result in lower grades, therefore this is a major concern, as teenagers will end up being uneducated and will not be able to find employment, due to playing video games regularly.

Anderson and Dill's second study

In the second study, 210 college students played either a violent or nonviolent video game. A short time later, the students who played the violent video game punished an opponent (received a noise blast with varying intensity) for a longer period of time than did students who had played the nonviolent video game.

In review of the study , Dr Anderson states how "Violent video games provide a forum for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations." As a result , violent video games are more effective in teaching players how to react to situations in conflict, therefore they learn useful self defence skills in the real world. Also, the study states that "In the short run, playing a violent video game appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts. Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting as well, as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that can become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise." Effectively, as the player progresses onto the higher levels, they are educated on how to react to more realistic and dangerous situations. Here, the players' aggression levels rise, as they have to adapt to complex situations, which could potentially be useful in real life, therefore they are effective in that sense.

Yet, violent video games are still not received positively by some audiences, as the researchers conclude that "One major concern is the active nature of the learning environment of the video game." The constant exposure to violence fails to have an educational aspect, as games such as Grand Theft Auto rely on the player to carry out crime and killing. "This medium is potentially more dangerous than exposure to violent television and movies, which are known to have substantial effects on aggression and violence." In contrast to movies and television programmes which use violence to respond to public concern, violent video games are quite the opposite as they use violence as a means to channel aggression and to enable the audience to have complete freedom in terms of moral values.


http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/article/video-game

New hypothesis question for critical invesitgation

Why are video games becoming more violent? How is this a concern?

Professor Bruce Bartholow: Violent Video Games and Desensitisation

Professor Bruce Bartholow from the University of Missouri investigates aggression and violent behaviour in the media. Though his focus on violent video game aggression is particularly insightful, as he tries to examine how the games result in violent behaviour.

In response to the profile from the profile, Charles Reineke explores the connection between violence in video games, such as Grand Theft Auto and the real world. To some extent, video games do have an impact in society, as criminals can find new motives of committing crime.

Important quotes from the profile:-

" There are very clear effects in scientific literature showing that, in the short term, playing a violent video game increases aggressive thoughts and behaviours, increases aggression-related emotion -- anger for example -- and decreases helpful behaviours." The challenge now, is to determine how violent gaming might affect players over the long term."

Professor Bartholow suggests that more research needs to be conducted into the long term effects of aggressive behaviour of violent video games, as they tend to deduce aggressive thoughts in the short term, though do not seem to instill a consistent pattern of aggression.

Though, the Professor's experiment on 39 undergraduate students being shown violent and non violent images was effective in giving an insight into how violent video games result in aggression. By being shown images such as man holding a gun in another man's mouth the levels of p300 (electrical impulses into responses to significant stimuli) manages to increase.

The study included a second, "competition" phase. When cued by a series of audible tones, the researchers told the subjects, "you and an unseen opponent must race to see who can click his computer mouse the fastest." The winner, they said, could blast his opponent's ears with a sudden noise. Nobody told the students that, in fact, there was no opponent.

In effect, his experiment concluded that "... Players of violent video games showed a significant diminution of p300 amplitude when viewing violent images. Though, the research findings also concluded that "... violent game players' p300 levels did not change when they encountered the neutral or negative, non-violent images".

Professor Bruce Bartholow also reviewed that "the subjects who showed the smallest p300 response to violent images also were the most aggressive in blasting the ears of their perceived opponents. The implication was clear: Over time, players of violent video games appeared to become desensitized to real-world violence.

On the whole, the research findings by Professor Bruce Bartholow suggests that the exposure to violent images seemingly desensitised the students, as they were seemingly used to seeing these images. The reason for this could be that the media's coverage of crime and death may desensitise events which are more dramatic or serious. Bartholow's research brought him acclaim , as his research in the New Scientist, was read by a representative in Britain's Parliament, who then queried the prime minister Tony Blair . "Is he [Tony Blair] aware of the new research published by the University of Missouri, which shows a link between violent video games and the greater propensity of people to act with violence ...?"


http://illumination.missouri.edu/spr06/pro1

Dr Cheryl Olson: Violent content in video games

This post contains a useful clip which focuses on the violent content of video games. The research and findings of Dr Cheryl Olson look into video games and how they affect a youth audience.



This clip from a US documentary takes an insight into video games and introduces the idea of whether video games are becoming more violent. In accordance, the documentary revolves around the research findings if Dr Cheryl Olson, professor at Harvard Medical School and co author of the novel , Grand Theft Childhood explores the connection of video games and the effects they have on a younger audience.

The clip opens with the deigetic sound of the gun shots from the game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare playing in the background. Alongside this, the close up shot of the hand is used to signify addiction. Though, the use of the voice over is significant in terms of the documentary, as he gives an insight into the possible relation between the youth audience and their involvement in video games. In many ways, the voice over is used as identification for an adult audience, as his tone of voice is worrying, which is stereotypical of parents, who worry about the well being of their child or children. The moral panic of video games is signified , through the voice over, as the parents fear for their children and the fact that they will become more violent in society, due to playing these games.

The low key lighting is used in the close up shot to connote how children are seemingly hypnotised or indoctrinated by video games, as the child is playing a first person shooter, which encourages violence in a war setting.

Generally in this clip, Dr Olson shows from her findings that "video games with violent content might desensitise children to violence in the real world". The use of Dr Olson's voice over along with the game play from the first person shooter, Call of Duty Modern Warfare supports findings , in that she suggests that watching gore or violence in video games and not seeing the consequences that violence might have in real life, and children less concerned about suffering and have empathy for victims. Therefore, violent games could be considered to be a concern, as the youth audience don't understand suffering and the true consequences of violence.

Interestingly, Dr Olson states how male players seem to laugh and to be used to criticising each other when playing violent video games. The fact that boys tend to be more aggressive is signified in the media, as they tend to watch horror films, play aggressive sports such as American Football , Rugby etc. Therefore, they are more likely to play violent games, especially in groups, as signified in a close up shot of three friends playing Call of Duty on the X Box. As a result, many gaming institutions such as 2K games and Mad Dog Games produce games such as Mafia 2 which challenge audience expectations and what parents thing is appropriate, which raises moral panic in society.

However, Dr Olson generalises how many people believe that the "violence present in video games and film is similar enough to real life violence". Therefore, 'being desensitised to one makes you less concerned about the other'. Hence, people are disillusioned with one specific concerns, that they seem to ignore the issue on across other platforms.

Whats more, Dr Olson and research into video games states that a "teenage audience tend to play video games which are more realistic". The sense of games being historical, with real life characters or historical figures seem to add that extra sense of realism in violent video games. As well as this, the graphics and the characters' emotions or behaviour seem to make the audience play these games. The violent video games, where you just go on killing people are less realistic, though the environment and people are real- not the action," as said by Olson.

Interestingly, Olson conducted a focus group with young teenage boys looked at the aesthetics of video game content. Her research findings concluded that boys tended to be more concerned with two aspects: language and love. They tended to shield their siblings from playing games where they was excessive swearing, as they would be more impressionable and would look bad for their parents. The other major concern was about love, as they believed that they should be exposed to those games then they were 15 or 18. These two things seem to be remarkable, as boys would do these things in real life. Yet, the boundary of fantasy versus reality is strong amongst boys.

In her findings, Olson reported that "... several boys were more upset by the television news than gory games". The fact that the reality in television is authentic seemingly shocks teenagers, as they wouldn't expect things in video games to happen in real life. Research conducted by psychiatrists and psychologists found that "homes where repeated violence occurred would often result in children in that home being number by violence. Though, the way a typical child acts and feels, if he sees a friend hurt, is very different from the way he acts whilst playing violent video games". This shows how there is a stark difference in the ways violence occurs in children when playing violent video games and in real life, serious situations.

On the whole, Dr Olson states that it is not entirely possible that a troubled child might be influenced by violent video game or film. Though, she states that more research needs to be done in order to analyse which children might be affected by these games. To a larger extent, Dr Olson states that parents should play an active part in preventing or allowing their children to play specific games, as their temperaments might not be accommodating to such violent games. Many teenagers look to their parents as positive role models, therefore they should transfer positive values onto their children, as the absence of positive role models could corrupt teenagers and lead them astray.

Official Critical Investigation question

Are video games becoming more violent? Is this a concern?

Professor David Buckingham and violent video games

In this interview from London Knowledge Lab, Professor David Buckingham discusses how violent video games being a concern is questionable, as the Professor states that "You can learn a lot from video games", and the fact that video games reflect reality, with players being able to solve problems.

Useful points from the interview:-

"You could make the same argument about video games, where one argument is all about violence. The argument that games cause people to be more violent than they would otherwise be I think is very questionable indeed". Or the risk of people getting 'addicted' to video games - a very loaded term, but the idea at least that people are spending more time than is good for them playing computer games, when they should have more balanced lives.

"And yet, of course, video games are also fun, and people learn things from them, they can be quite sociable experiences, and so on. Again, it doesn't make much sense to separate the positives from the negatives, or to see this in simple either/or terms".

Therefore, Professor David Buckingham believes that playing violent video games for a longer period is harmful, as it leads to the audience being unhealthy and unsociable.

"So for me that means you need some kind of educational response to this, rather than saying something is bad or risky, so let's just ban it.

Professor David Buckingham's argument revolves around the fact that young people take risks when playing violent video games, which are pleasurable, as they can make their player perform awkward stunt moves, as signified in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

David Buckingham's seems to advocate risk taking, as the players learn from doing thing repeatedly, by playing violent video games, they build up strategies to compete to the next level or to complete the game.

"So the argument would be that people need to be informed about what they're letting themselves in for, they need to understand how to deal with risk, rather than simply trying to keep them away from it".

Though, like many other scientists, Professor Buckingham doesn't wholly believe whether violent games are harmful or not.

Throughout this argument, Professor David Buckingham stresses the fact that video games seem to educate audiences.

"No. But equally I would say that neither am I convinced by the argument that they have enormous benefits for learning. Again the evidence is very, very limited. What we have to say is that, like any other medium, you can learn from video games, but it's not so much the game itself as the context in which it's used - the educational relationships that surround it".

Something in the news lately is notable neuroscientists saying that video games, computers, the internet are changing the way our brain works, for the worse.

Yes, and they make arguments about the plasticity of the brain which seem to depend on a view that development in infancy has a massively determining effect on the kind of people we become. Frankly, I think there's a lot of mystification about neuroscience - that it's seen as 'real science,' and claims coming from other disciplines are somehow not seen to carry authority. Personally I'm not too convinced that some of those notable neuroscientists actually know anything at all about video games.

http://www.lkl.ac.uk/cms/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=349

Negative effects/ Concerns of video games

Bad Effects of Video Games

On the whole, most of the negative effects of video games are blamed on the violence they contain. Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, according to a scientific study (Anderson & Bushman, 2001).

The effect of video game violence in children is worsened by the games’ interactive nature. In many games, the audience are rewarded for being more violent, as signified in the Call of Duty series. The audience are in control of the player, which enabled them to carry out reckless violence such as (killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting). Indeed, many studies seem to indicate that violent video games may be related to aggressive behavior (such as Anderson & Dill, 2000, Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004). However, the evidence is not consistent and this issue is far from settled.

To some degree, violent video games are a concern for the following reasons:-

* Over exposure to violent video games results in isolation, with players beoming more violent due to thier stubborness in being able to succeed to the next level.

* Violent video games instill audiences; especially children with immoral values, such as murder, manslaughter, prostitution. Grand Theft Auto is a perfect example of these negative ideologies

* Violent video games seem to be too real: younger audiences can can confuse reality and fantasy.

* Academic achievement may be negatively related to over-all time spent playing video games. Studies have shown that the more time a kid spends playing video games, the poorer is his performance in school. (Anderson & Dill, 2000; Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004)

* Violent video games make audience more willing to become the characters they play as. Therefore, many audiences choose to adopt a more aggressive look, as seen in True Crime.

http://www.raisesmartkid.com/raise-smart-preschool-kid-articles/the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video.html